2017 holiday gift guide

With whiskies—as in business—it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Three decades ago, Scottish distilleries began experimenting with maturing whisky in a second cask that once held wine or port or sherry. The result was a richer, more complex spirit with new flavours that complemented the whisky that had already been ageing in its original cask. Today the practice is common with Irish, American and even Taiwanese whiskies. And given that there are always new casks to experiment with, there’s seemingly no end to all these finishes. Here’s how to get started...